The US military's focus has started to shift away from
asymmetric conflicts to a fight with near-peer rivals.

That new prospect has created the need for new and
updated gear - particularly for extreme climates.

US soldiers and Marines are already overseas trying to
acclimate themselves and their gear to new
environments.

US military officials and policymakers are devoting increased
attention to the potential for conflict with a near-peer
competitor, and they've pursued a number of operational and
equipment changes to prepare for it.

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Among the latest moves is the roll out of more cold-weather gear
among the US Army and Marine Corps, underscoring the military's
growing concern about its ability to operate in extreme
environments outside the Middle East.

For the last several years, the Army has been looking to update its gear for
extreme environments, mainly jungles and the harsh cold. Included
in that search was a new cold-weather boot and a cold-weather
clothing system that could be adjusted for various temperatures.

In recent weeks, soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort
Drum in New York have done winter training operations with new
gloves, headgear, socks, gaiters, parkas, and trousers. That new
gear was focused on "face, hands, and feet," 1st Sgt. Daniel
Bryan, first sergeant of the division's Light Fighters School,
told Army Times.

The unit also received new skis. Built shorter and wider, like
cross-country skis, they were brought in so inexperienced
soldiers could strap into them with their cold-weather boots and
be able to maneuver in short order. Those new skis were also
being deployed among Army units in Alaska, Vermont, and Italy.

Troops at Fort Drum have done cold-weather exercises for some
time, but the base's recent designation as a Zone 7 - the same
designation as Fort Wainwright in Alaska and Camp Ethan Allen in
Vermont - steered millions of dollars more in funding there so
soldiers could undertake more training.

The new equipment has been fielded as part of an effort to
prepare troops physically and mentally for cold-weather
operations.

The Marine Corps has also been reorienting itself for
operations in the extreme cold.

In mid-January, the Corps issued two requests for
information for a cap and gloves for intense cold.The Marines want both to be able to withstand temperatures
down to 50 below zero and be fast-drying and water repellant,
with the gloves able to work with touchscreen devices.

The Corps also plans to spend $12.75 million - $7 million in
fiscal year 2018 - to buy 2,648 sets of the NATO ski system for
scout snipers, reconnaissance Marines, and some infantrymen, with
the first sets arriving at the end of the 2018 calendar
year.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said in December
that the Marine Corps Rotational Force Europe, based in Norway,
would be the first to get the gear.

caption

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, left, with a Norwegian army soldier in Setermoen, Norway, September 28, 2017.

source

(US Marine Corps/Cpl. Samantha K. Braun)

"No Marine is going to leave here unless they know how to
ski," Neller said at the time, according to Military.com.
"You're going to get your skis here in about a week, so get
ready."

US Marines have been in Norway on rotational deployments
since early 2017, though
they've stored equipment there for some time.

The deployments, the first of their kind, have focused on
tactical training for offensive operations in cold weather. (And
irked Russia.)

The primary reason for creating the rotational force was
improving cold-weather training, one of Neller's main goals.

Some exercises, done with NATO allies and non-NATO
partners, have taken place just 200 miles from Norway's
border with Russia. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit has also
been conducting cold-weather
training in neighboring Sweden.

The adjustment to the region hasn't been totally
smooth.

Marines in Norway's Arctic region in 2016 and early 2017
reported a number of problems with
their gear, which was pulled from the service's inventory of
cold-weather equipment. Zippers stuck; seams ripped; backpack
frames snapped, and boots repeatedly pulled loose from skis or
tore on the metal bindings, according to Military.com.

The equipment problems spurred a wave of feedback from Marines,
leading the Corps to start looking at upgrades and replacements -
including some cold-weather gear used by the Army as well as
reinforced backpack frames suitable for frigid
temperatures.

The Marine Corps' overall plans for new gear goes beyond just outfitting a
small rotational force, however, and those moves fit in with
preparations for a future fight that Neller has said could be on
the horizon.

"I hope I'm wrong, but there's a war coming," Neller said
during a December address to Marines in Norway. Neller said he
saw a "big-ass fight" in the future
and told them to be ready for a variety of missions.

Neller also said he expected the force's attention to shift
to new areas. "I think probably the focus, the intended focus is
not on the Middle East," Neller said, according to
Military.com. "The focus is more on the Pacific and
Russia."

Increasing tensions with Russia and North Korea have
increased the potential the US military could face cold-weather
fighting again - particularly in Northwest Asia.

Brutal Siberian cold during the Korean War plagued US troops who lacked enough
cold-weather gear and faced problems like frozen rations and gear
damaged by subzero temperatures. Decades later, soldiers who
recovered from frostbite and other injuries found themselves
suffering from new symptoms related to their
exposure.